Stretchable anchor band



June 25, 1968 R, H WARD 3,389,722

STRETCHABLE ANCHOR BAND Filed April 7, 1966 FIG. I FIGZ.

FIG.6.

mven'ron: REED DENT ROBERT C. HOWARD WZW ATTYS.

United States Patent Oflice 3,389,722 Patented June 25, 1968 3,389,722 STRETCHABLE ANCHOR BAND Robert C. Howard, Wyomissing, Pa., assignor to Wyomissing Corporation, Reading, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed Apr. 7, 1966, Ser. No. 540,962 3 Claims. (Cl. 139-423) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A woven stretchable anchor band for attachment to garments and the like to prevent slippage in which the non-slip characteristics are provided by a formed elastomeric material woven into the fabric as floats on one surface thereof and caused to project from the surface by reason of the body fabric being stretchable in the direction of the floats and having relatively stiff, firm, monofilamentary wefts.

The present invention relates to stretchable anchor bands and has particular application to woven narrow fabrics designed to be attached to garments and other piece goods to anchor the same against slippage or the like. The invention has particular application for use in underwear and outerwear to prevent the garment from becoming dislodged during the normal body movements.

Prior to the present invention, woven anchor strips of the stated type have been provided which comprise a body yarn of stretchable material such as rubber, spandex, or the like which, during the formation of the fabric, is brought to one surface of the fabric in order to provide non-skid properties to this gripping surface. For many end uses, conventional anchor strips of this character are entirely satisfactory; however, for certain uses, such strips have not been entirely satisfactory since the exposed elastic threads tend to embed themselves into the body of the strips and thereby have reduced exposure on the gripping surface of the strip.

With the foregoing in mind, the present invention provides an improved anchor strip which exhibits a high degree of exposure of non-slip yarn or thread on the gripping surface thereof.

More specifically, the present invention provides a novel woven fabric construction wherein the non-slip yarns of the fabric are disposed in the warp of the fabric and the weft yarns of the fabric are composed of relatively stiff monofilaments which resist distortion and tend to force the non-slip yarns out of the plane ofthe fabric to expose a greater portion of the non-slip yarn upon the anchoring surface of the fabric.

The present invention is especially applicable to elastic woven fabrics in which the elasticity of the fabric is obtained by the use of body yarns having elastomeric properties running in the warp of the fabric and non-slip warp yarns are interwoven in one face of the fabric, the non-slip yarns being composed of a foamed elastomeric material exhibiting tactile properties which resist slippage and provide a gripping action.

All of the objects of the invention are more fully set forth hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawing which illustrates a fabric embodying the present invention and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a face view of a fabric embodying the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1 of the back surface of the fabric shown therein;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged warpwise sectional view taken on the line 33 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a weftwise sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 3 but illustrating the disposition of the elements of the fabric as it is woven on the loom; and

FIG. 6 is a weave diagram of a single repeat of the fabric.

Referring now to the drawings, the illustrated embodiment of the invention comprises a narrow band having a central portion 12, marginal side portions 13 and 14, and decorative strip areas 15 and 16 between the central portion 12 and the respective side portions 13 and 14. The face of the fabric, as shown in FIG. 1, exhibits a smooth textile surface similar in character to the surface of an ordinary plain weave. The undersurface of the band, on the other hand, exhibits in the central portion 12 and one marginal portion 14, a knobby surface which provides an effective gripping surface for anchoring the band against displacement upon the body or material which underlies the same in its end use.

In construction, the fabric shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 comprises a double weft-plane fabric having a series of upper wefts or filling yarns 22 (see FIG. 3) disposed above a central body yarn 21 and a similar series of lower wefts or filling yarns 23 below the body yarn 21. In the present instance, binder warps 24 and 25 retain the weft yarns 22 and 23 substantially flush against the body yarn 21. In the illustrated embodiment, the binder warps 24 and 25 are disposed in opposite relation, as shown, which permits the upper and lower wefts 22 and 23 respectively to assume a superimposed position on opposite sides of the body yarn 21. Non-slip yarns are anchored in the back surface of the fabric. In the present instance, the non-slip yarns are arranged in pairs, as indicated at 26 and 27, each yarn of the pair being anchored in the lower weft plane by being tied-in over every fourth weft and floating under the intervening three wefts. The yarns 26 and 27 are tied-in at points offset from one another as shown to provide the knobby appearance on the undersurface of the fabric and to provide a thoroughly effective gripping surface.

In weaving the fabric shown in FIGS. 1 to 6, the loom is set up to repeat on eight picks and twelve ends. The weftwise repeat embraces two reed dents, each dent including four binder warps 24 and 25 respectively, a body warp 21, and one of the non-slip yarns 26 and 27, the next dent including the same number of binder and body yarns and including the other of the non-slip yarns. The weave pattern is diagrammed in FIG. 6 and the orientation of the yarns during the weaving operation is shown in FIG. 5, but, it should be noted, the fabric is actually woven with the back side uppermost. The sequence of the picking is indicated in FIGS. 5 and 6 by designating the lower and upper weft yarns as 23-1, 22-2, 233, etc. It is noted that the superimposed relationship of the upper and lower weft yarns is obtained by providing opposed binder warps passing over two wefts, under two wefts, over two wefts, etc., and passing the body yarn in alternation under the upper wefts and over the lower wefts. The upper and lower wefts may be offset in the finished fabric by altering the binder warp pattern to cause both binder warps to pass over and under the wefts in alternation and in opposition to the alternation in the body yarn pattern, as well understood in the weaving industry.

It is noted that during weaving, the yarns are all under sufficient tension to maintain them in straightened condition, the tension on the body yarns 21 being in excess of the tension on the non-slip yarns 26 and 27 so that when the fabric is relaxed after weaving, the relaxation of the tension in the body yarns causes the non-slip yarns 26 and 27 to pucker and project outwardly of the fabric. The degree of outward projection is varied by varying the tension on the non-slip yarns 26 and 27 with respect to the tension on the body yarn and the amount of non-slip yarn exposed per unit length of fabric is therefore readily controlled to provide the optimum gripping characteristics.

The elastomeric properties of the body yarn 21 permits the fabric strip to conform to the contour of the garment to which it is secured without bunching or gathering, and without the need for special weaving techniques. In normal use, the fabric strip is not elongated sufliciently to tension the non-slip yarns, so that the foamed elastomeric material remains in substantially relaxed condition and thereby the non-slip yarn surfaces exhibit the maximum gripping action.

In accordance with the invention, it has been found that the selection of the materials for the wefts and the gripping yarns is critical in order to obtain the optimum anchoring effect. The other elements which make up the fabric may be standard. For example, the body yarn may be any suitable elastomeric yarn, but it is preferred to use a spandex yarn which exhibits a high degree of elasticity. The binder warps may be of any suitable material such as cotton.

In accordance with the invention, the filling yarns 22 and 23 comprise a firm relatively stiff synthetic monofilament such as nylon or polypropylene, and the nonslip yarns 26 and 27 have a surface of a foamed elastomeric composition such as foamed rubber or the like. In the present instance the entire non-slip yarn is composed of extruded foam rubber. The foamed elastomeric composition provides the desired tactile properties when embodied in the fabric which cause the fabric to anchor itself firmly in place upon the body or other material which it engages. This material is soft and resilient so as to conform to the surface against which it is engaged to thereby provide an extended engagement surface which contributes to the anchoring effect desired. The hard, relatively stiff filling overlying the floats of the non-slip yarns resists flexing and prevents the non-slip yarns from becoming embedded within the fabric and maintains the same exposed upon the undersurface providing the greatest areas for engagement of the non-slip yarns against the confronting surface. The stiffness of the filling yarns tends to maintain the fabric substantially flat so as to inhibit rolling-up of the anchoring band and to insure engagement of the gripping surface against the confronting surface across the full width of the fabric band. In this way, optimum gripping effect is obtained while maintaining a lightweight and minimum bulk in the fabric.

While a particular embodiment of the present invention has been herein illustrated and described, it is not 4. intended to limit the invention to such disclosure, but changes and modifications may be made therein and thereto within the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. In an anchoring band for garments and the like comprising a woven fabric construction including an elastomeric body yarn, upper and lower weft yarns disposed on opposite sides of said body yarn, binder warps anchoring said weft yarns to said body yarn, binder warps anchoring said weft yarns to said body yarn, and nonslip yarns tied-in said fabric over longitudinally-spaced lower weft yarns and floating under the lower weft yarns intermediate said longitudinally-spaced lower weft yarns, the improvement wherein:

said non-slip yarns have a soft, resilient surface of foamed elastomeric material, said body yarn being under sufficient tension to maintain the foamed elastomeric material of the non-slip yarns in substantially relaxed condition; and

said weft yarns comprise relatively stiff, firm monofilaments of synthetic material resistant to flexing, said weft yarns causing said substantially relaxed nonslip yarns to project downwardly below the plane of the lower wefts to provide a gripping surface on the back of said fabric.

2. An anchoring band according to claim 1 wherein said non-slip yarns consist of extruded foam rubber.

3. An anchoring band according to claim 1 wherein each dent of the woven fabric includes a body yarn, binder warps and a non-slip yarn, the body yarn being tied-in over every fourth lower weft and float under the intervening three lower wefts, said fioats puckering and projecting outwardly of the fabric.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,666,686 4/1928 Chisholm 139-42l X 2,804,099 8/1957 Sherman 139423 2,835,279 5/1958 Horowitz 139-421 2,931,398 4/1960 Masters 139-423 3,001,359 9/1961 Simon 57-157 3,172,430 3/1965 Weidhaas 139-42.2

FOREIGN PATENTS 5,799 1913 Great Britain. 200,080 10/ 1958 Austria.

MERVIN STEIN, Primary Examiner.

J. KEE CHI, Assistant Examiner.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Robert C. Howard in the above identified It is certified that error appears hereby corrected as patent and that said Letters Patent are shown below:

line 13, "formed" should read "foamed cancel "binder warps anchoring said first occurrence.

Column 1 Column 4, lines 8 and 9, weft yarns to said bod yarn",

Signed and sealed this 2nd day of Decembe (SEAL) Attest:

WILLIAM E. SCHUYLER, JR.

Edward M. Fletcher, Jr.

Commissioner of Patents Attesting Officer 

